Dreams
by Psychochick52
Summary: Rated for violecne and safety. Uriel wasn't the only Septim to be troubled by his dreams


**Howdy folks! Typed up another story for y'all! This one is a bit more serious than my previous two stories but hopefully it's still good. I know a lot of people have published stories showing the opening and the hero meeting Martin, but hopefully there is something unique in this story. Also if anyone thinks I gave this the wrong rating please tell me and as always please leave constructive criticism. Thanks in advance, Psychochick52**

Dreams

An Oblivion Fanfiction by Psychochick52

Oleta stormed into the sleeping quarters frustrated but not surprised at what she saw.

"Martin, why aren't you awake yet? Come on get up!" she shouted as she shook Martin.

"Screw you Dreth," Martin mumbled half asleep.

"What did you say to me?" Martin woke up a bit more and became aware of his surroundings "Oh, Oleta, good morning. What time is it?"

"7:45"

"7:45? Are you serious?" Martin got out of bed and began to scramble to get dressed.

"What's wrong with you lately? For the past week its like you've been in a daze."

"Sorry, it's just I haven't been sleeping well lately. I keep having these odd dreams." Oleta got worried she was aware of Martin's former association with Sanguine.

"Are... you still troubled about what... what happened?"

"I think what happened will stay with me forever," Martin now fully dressed ran his fingers through his hair "but the dreams I've been having don't have anything to do with my past. In fact, they seem different from regular dreams."

"We can discuss this later; we need to clean up the chapel before the morning service. Come on!" Oleta practically dragged Martin out of the room.

As Martin worked his mind wandered back to last night's dream. In the dream he had seen an old man dressed in royal finery. The man had been heading through a dungeon with three soldiers (his bodyguards, something told him). What surprised Martin about the dream wasn't the content but the detail. He could hear the footsteps of the guards so clearly it was as if he was walking along side them. He could feel the cool damp air, smell the year's worth of mold, and even felt an ache in the old man's shoulder (he somehow even knew the ache came from a combination of old age, and a wound he got when he was younger). Martin was also privy to the thoughts of the group. The three guards were focused on looking for any threats, recalling where the escape route was, and one (Baurus) was praying he would be able to protect his charge from harm. What interested Martin the most were the thoughts of the old man: he was aware that he was in danger, that he would almost certainly die, but he wasn't afraid. He seemed ready to accept his fate, fulfill his final duty. The only thing that troubled him was the death of his children. He knew it was going to happen but that did little to ease his sorrow. He was also hoping for the success of an mission that hadn't even begun. Martin didn't know what the mission was but he could feel it was important. Before Oleta had woken him up the group was standing in front of a door as one guard unlocked it. They heard someone on the other side of the door shout "Screw you, Dreth!"

Martin's dreams had been oddly vivid for the last week. In three of them he saw men being murdered. He even felt a knife piercing their skin of a mace crushing their skull; both of which were followed by a cold numbness that could only be death. What added to Martin's confusion was that he felt an odd kinship to the victims, like he should know them better than he did. The most disturbing dreams though had been the ones about Kvatch. The Kvatch he saw wasn't the city he knew. There was fire and destruction all around. He could feel the heat of the flames, smell the smoke as it irritated his lungs, and worst of all hear screams. They were screams of terror, pain, and sorrow. Mixed in with the screams were strange sounds; like the calls of creatures from Oblivion. He also saw this large... thing. He had never seen anything like it; it was bigger than any building in the city, made of medal, and even though it wasn't alive it had legs that moved it forward and seemed to attack Kvatch in a bloodthirsty manner. Martin shuddered a bit before composing himself. _Come on relax, they are just dreams! _He told himself even as a voice in the back of his mind said the opposite.

"Ack!" Martin saw Ilav Dralgoner trip and fall to the ground. As Martin went over to help him up he paused and his eyes widened. For a few seconds instead of seeing Ilav on the church floor he saw a man laying on the ground in a burning city. The man was badly burned and his left leg was gone; it appeared to have been ripped from his body rather than cut off with a sword or ax. He was handing a blade to someone begging they save his family.

"Hey, Martin you going to stand there are will you give me a hand up?" Ilav asked snapping him back to the present. Martin shook his head hoping to clear the image from his mind.

"Sorry," Martin said as he helped him up.

"Thanks, hey are you alright? You've been staring off into space all day and you looked like you saw a ghost just now."

"Oh, um I haven't been sleeping well lately. It's nothing," he dropped his voice to a whisper "I hope."

"Have you had a vision?"

"What? No, they're just dreams." Martin responded trying to hide his doubt.

"Martin, you see things others don't whether you realize it or not."

Martin laughed ."Do you think I'm psychic or something? I've probably just been working too hard lately."

"What did you see in your vision? Is something bad going to happen?"

"It wasn't a vision it was a simple garden variety dream! Nothing is going to happen, Kvatch will be fine!"

"Something is going to happen to the city?"

"No, it was _just_ _a dream_! It and all the other dreams I've been having are meaningless!"

"What else have you seen?" Martin rolled his eyes

"Nothing, I've just had some stupid dreams!" At this point in their conversation Oleta entered the room

"Are you bothering Martin?"

"He had a vision!"

"Oh, not this again" Oleta sighed "Martin can't see the future."

"But, what about last month?"

"What about last month?"

"Remember how he insisted we should get a new lock for the door?"

"Yeah,so?"

"The day after he installed it someone tried to break into the chapel. He foresaw the thief and knew we needed better security!"

"He 'knew we needed better security' because that lock was an old rusted piece of junk that probably dated back to the first age not because of some premonition."

"You can doubt me if you want but mark my words something will happen to Kvatch."

"I heard that someone in this small town Border Watch dreamed burning dogs would rain from the sky after all the livestock mysteriously die do you think that's going to happen to?"

"Burning dogs?" Martin repeated looking at Oleta curiously. She shrugged her shoulders in response. Ilav glared at them.

"Mock me if you must but Martin's dreams are visions. You," he gestured at Martin "know I'm right; you can't ignore the truth!" With that he stormed off. Externally Martin brushed off Ilav's statement, but for the rest of the day his dreams lingered in the back of his mind.

That night Martin had a another vivid dream:

~He saw an Argonian prisoner sulking in her cell. She had mostly blue scales and bony spikes on the sides or her head. Her most distinctive trait were her eyes; instead of the usual red color they were a fiery orange. Martin somehow knew she had been moved to that cell two hours ago after the guards broke up a fight between her and another prisoner. The whole time she had been there the Dunmer in the cell across from her had been taunting her.

"...The boats, the gulls. So close...No, you'll never get to swim again, Argonian. But don't worry, you'll be dead soon enough. That's right. You're going to die in here!"

"_They put me right across from this prick," _the prisoner thought "_and they didn't do anything to prevent me from using magic. Either the guards are sloppy or they want me to kill that guy."_

"Screw you, Dreth!" the prisoner shot back at Dunmer fed up with his mouth. Before Dreth could respond they heard the door open.

"You hear that? The guards are coming, for you!" Dreth laughed and went to the back of his cell. The old man and his guards from Martin's previous dream entered the area.

"My sons...they're dead aren't they?" the old man asked in a tone that was more matter of fact than questioning.

"We don't know that, Sire. The messenger only said they were attacked." the female guard answered.

"No, they're dead. I know it."

"My job right now is to get you to safety. What's this prisoner doing here?" she asked when she noticed the Argonian in the cell.

"This cell is supposed to be off-limits."

"The usual mix-up with the watch I-." Another one of the guards stated.

"Never-mind, get that gate open. Stand back, prisoner, we won't hesitate to kill you if you get in our way." Even though she was confused the prisoner complied with the guards demand. Two of the guards kept their eyes on the prisoner while their charge entered their the cell. He looked at the prisoner and paused

"You, I've seen you. Let me see your face." he said as he closed the distance between the prisoner and himself.

"You are the one from my dreams... Then the starts were right, and this is the day. Gods give me strength."

"What? Whats goin' on?" The prisoner asked.

"Assassins attacked my sons, and I'm next. My Blades are leading me out of the city along a secret escape route. By chance, the entrance to that escape route leads through your cell." The prisoner noted the old man's fine clothes, large amulet, and the unique armor the guards were wearing

"That's Akavari armor. Does that mean...whoa! Are you the emperor?" The emperor smiled "Correct, I am Uriel Septim. By the grace of the gods I serve Tamriel as her ruler. You are a citizen of Tamriel, and you, too, shall serve her in your own way."

"Wow, what are the odds you would end up at my cell?"

"Perhaps the gods have placed you here so that we may meet. As for what you have done... it does not matter." _"Try telling that to the guards."_ the prisoner thought. "That is not what you will be remembered for."

"I'll help if I can but I don't believe in that fate stuff. I go my own way."

"So do we all. But what path can be avoided whose end is fixed by the almighty gods?"

"Please sire," the female guard began as she searched the wall "we must get you to safety." She pressed down on one of the stones revealing a secret exit

"Better not close this one. There's no way to open it from the other side."

"Looks like today is your lucky day; just stay out of our way." One of the bodyguards, a young Redguard, (if Martin's memory served him his name was Baurus) told the prisoner before following after his charge. The prisoner pumped her fist

"Whoo! Pardoned!" she cheered before exiting the cell herself.

As the prisoner caught up to the group three assassins jumped them. The female guard attacked the first of them. While dealing with her opponent another assassin struck her down (again Martin felt a stab followed by a life fading out). The remaining guards went after the assassins their comrade had faced leaving the last one an opening to attack the emperor. As he charged the emperor, his legs stopped moving and he felt a surge of cold. Looking down he noticed his legs were covered in ice. Before the assassin could free his legs the emperor cut him down with his short-sword. The emperor gratefully smiled at the prisoner for her help.

"Are you alright, Sire? We're clear for now." Baurus asked once he dealt with his opponent. "Captain Renault?"

"She's dead. I'm sorry, Sire, but we have to keep moving." Flanked by his two remaining guards the emperor entered a door. The Imperial bodyguard (something told Martin his name was Glenroy) stopped and locked the door. The trio continued down the passageway quickly but carefully. When they entered a large room another group of assassins attacked. During the battle Uriel ended up in a sword fight with one of his attackers. When the emperor began to falter his opponent suddenly fell forward and he saw a large gash on his back. "Hi" the prisoner greeted as she lowered Captain Renault's katana. She seemed to be a bit better equipped wearing some basic leather armor that looked old but usable and a worn leather shield. She had also somehow gotten a cut on her face under her right eye. "Dammit, it's that prisoner again! Kill her she might be working with the assassins." Glenroy said preparing to strike.

"No. She is not one of them. She can help us. She must help us."

"As you wish, Sire." Glenroy stayed his hand but didn't seem too thrilled about it. The prisoner looked at Uriel with a mix of confusion and gratitude

"You saved my life, why?" she asked.

"They cannot understand why I trust you. They've not seen what I've seen. How can I explain? Listen. You know The Nine? How They guide our fates with an invisible hand?"

"I worship them, believe they guide and protect us, but, they don't predetermine our fate."

"I've served The Nine all my days and I chart my course by the cycles of the heavens. The skies are marked with numberless sparks, each a fire, and every one a sign. I know these stars well, and I wonder... which sign marked your birth?"

"Um I was born under The Thief."

"The signs I read show the end of my path. My death, a necessary end, will come when it will come."

"Don't say that you're not going to die."

"I'm afraid you have little say in the manner, but fear not today the Thief shall guide your steps on the road to destiny."

"Wow can you see the future?"

"My dreams grant me no opinions of success. Their compass ventures not beyond the doors of death. But in your face, I behold the sun's companion. The dawn of Akatosh's bright glory may banish the coming darkness. With such hope and with the promise of your aid, my heart must be satisfied." _"Man this guy is really convinced he's gonna die." _the prisoner thought before asking "Why aren't you afraid to die?"

"No trophies of my triumphs precede me. But I have lived well, and my ghost shall rest easy. Men are but flesh and blood. They know their doom, but not the hour. In this I am blessed to see the hour of my death... To face my appointed fate then fall."

"Stop being so resigned about this! You're not gonna die! Come on lets get to... umm where are y'all going?"

"I go to my grave. A tongue shriller than all the music calls me. You shall follow me yet for awhile, then we must part."

_"Man, isn't he a ray of sunshine, but, still he's so certain he's going to die yet he isn't afraid. That's amazing." _

"You may as well make yourself useful." Baurus said to the prisoner "carry that torch and stick close." he stuck a torch in her hands and continued through the passage.

_"I don't have much longer," _the emperor thought as he watched his guards and the prisoner fend off another group of assassins. The whole situation felt surreal to him: watching those three work so hard to protect him despite the fact he was fated die. _"That prisoner seemed oddly adamant about me living. No. She was adamant about people choosing their own destiny. Is she just stubborn or could she..." _

"The gate is barred from the other side. A trap." Glenroy shouted.

"What about that side passage back there?" Baurus asked.

"Worth a try. Lets go!" The group made their way to the where Baurus indicated but did not find a way out.

"It's a dead end. What's your call, sir?"

"They're behind us! Wait here, sire." Glenroy ran toward the new group of attackers.

"Wait here with the emperor. Guard him with your life." Baurus commanded the prisoner before joining Glenroy. As the Uriel stood with the prisoner standing watch he solemnly undid the clasp on the Amulet of Kings. Once he got her attention he thrust the amulet into her hands

"I can go no further. You alone must stand against the Prince of Destruction and his mortal servants. He must not have the Amulet of Kings! Take my amulet. Give it to Jauffre. He alone knows where to find my last son. Find him and close shut the jaws of Oblivion." Almost immediately after the emperor finished talking the prisoner saw a sword run through Uriel's chest. He slumped forward into her arms and died.

"You picked the wrong day to side with the emperor, stranger." the assassin taunted. The prisoner's shock became anger as she was forced to drop the emperor's body and ready her weapon. The assassin's sword slashed through the air horizontally. The prisoner held up her sword to parry the attack; when their swords met there was enough force behind the assassin's attack to knock the sword out of her hand. Expecting an easy kill the assassin brought up his sword and slashed downward. The prisoner cast a quick shield spell that while not strong enough to stop the blade slowed it enough for her to catch the attacker's wrist. She wrapped her free hand around the assassin's neck digging her claws into his throat. As she squeezed she cast a fire spell. A flame came out of her hand and spread over the assassin's body and reduced him to a charred corpse in moments.

"No! Talos preserve us!" Baurus exclaimed when he saw the emperor was dead. He started to say something else but Martin woke up.~

Martin looked around and noticed it was still dark out. He got up and left the sleeping quarters. With no real destination in mind Martin began to walk around the chapel wrapped up in his thoughts. _"Another night another strange dream. That old man... no he was the emperor. He said his sons __were dead. Those men I saw die in my dreams earlier this week, could they have been his sons?" _Martin paused in front of a stained glass window_ "But why am I dreaming about the emperor and his family? For that matter why do they seem so familiar? Why do I remember the dreams so clearly?" _He touched his chest where the was stabbed _"I actually felt the sword run through him. I felt his heart slowly stop beating. Dreams shouldn't be so vivid!" _Martin's mind wandered to the Argonian from his dream

_"I keep thinking about her to. Could I somehow be connected to the emperor and that prisoner?" _He snorted at that last thought. _"Don't be stupid, Martin, it's just a dream; a figment of my imagination. Then... why do I feel the need to keep reminding myself that? This is absurd! When has there ever been any indication that I can predict the future? _

_What about those dreams I had while I was studying daedric magic?" _a voice in the back of his mind inquired _"I'm sure your friends would agree they were pretty accurate... if they were still alive." _Martin shook off the painful memories _"Those dreams were probably my subconscious reminding me what I was doing was dangerous. As for my friends we were fooling with daedra. Something like that was bound to happen eventually. See? There was a perfectly logical explanation for those nightmares." _Martin leaned his forehead against the glass _"Then why am I not convinced? I need to stop thinking about this nonsense or I'll drive myself crazy." _He decided he would try to take his mind off his dreams by reading. The church had a small collection of books. Most were religious but there were also some books on magic. Martin ended up reading _The Art of War Magic_ (why that book was in a church was beyond him). Even though he wasn't at the Arcane University anymore Martin still enjoyed magic. He had even found a way to continue to practice by raising money for the chapel as a trainer in the various colleges of magic.

After about thirty minutes he gave up on reading and returned the book to the shelf. As hard as he tried he couldn't focus on anything but his dreams. Martin struck the bookshelf in frustration. He hadn't had a full nights sleep all week. He was to the point that he didn't even want to try and sleep again because he would just end up being disturbed by another dream. Another part of him though was enthralled by the dreams; they left him with this odd feeling. A feeling that he was closer to some important, but, neglected part of himself.

The biological need for sleep reasserted itself forcing Martin to go back to bed As he expected he had another dream:

~Martin was walking around a wasteland, the ground was charred, there were rivers of lava, and some odd towers. He saw a large group of daedra. They seemed to be lining up as if they were taking part of a military drill. Amongst the crowd he saw the large metal device he had seen in one of his other dreams. He saw a portal appear and open, some of the daedra started started to head through it. Two other small portals opened before a large one appeared in front of the machine. Martin followed it as it passed through the portal and arrived outside Kvatch! ~

Martin awoke with a gasp. Once he recovered he noticed it was dawn so he got up.

"Well look who got up on time today... man, you look like crud." Oleta greeted when Martin entered the chapel.

"Good morning to you to, Oleta."

"Martin are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm just tired."

"Another bad night?" Martin nodded. Oleta looked worried "A nightmare now and then is one thing, but it seems like that's all you've been having lately. Are you sure there isn't something troubling you?"

"Aside from my dreams everything is fine."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I've probably been working too hard lately or something."

"You are doing a lot of work, but, no more than usual. Maybe you've been spending too much time inside. Here," she handed Martin some money and a list "we need to restock some supplies. I was going to go but I think it would do you some good to get out of here for a bit." Martin nodded, stuffed the list and money into his pocket, and left on his errand.

"Everybody needs a copy of the Black Horse Courier!" Martin's heart skipped a beat when he heard the man shout.

_"They must look for the person with the loudest voice to deliver those things." _As Martin made his way through the crowd he overheard the messenger say something shocking: "Read all about the assassination of the emperor!"

"What did you just say?" Martin asked silently hoping he had misheard him.

"The royal family is dead. Here, read about it." the messenger replied handing him a piece of paper. As Martin read the document his became as white as chalk. _"The emperor and his sons are dead ? Just like in my dream. Does that mean Kvatch will...no!"_ Martin ran back to the chapel as fast as he could and threw the doors open. When he saw Ilav and Oleta he ran over to them shouting to get their attention.

"Martin whats wrong?" Ilav asked

"When I was in town I got a copy of the Black Horse Courier. It says the emperor and the heirs to the throne are all dead!" Ilav took the courier and read it over

"All those with Dragon's blood are dead, the covenant is broken" he stated sadly. Martin looked at Ilav curiously until he recalled what he had read in _The Trials of St. Alessia _about the Dragonfires being the sign of a promise Akatosh made to protect the empire. _"In my dream the emperor mentioned the Prince of Destruction and Oblivion. Does that mean...but that's impossible." _Martin suddenly heard an explosion outside. He ran to see what was wrong. Outside he was horrified to see complete and utter chaos. The sky, which was a blood red, was filled with smoke and cries for help. Several nearby buildings were on fire. All around him guards and citizens were fighting various daedra. He heard another explosion; when he turned his head toward the source of the noise he saw a machine like... no it was the machine he saw in his nightmares. The daedra, the machine, the fires, it was all exactly as it was in his dreams. He was frozen in place in shock and horror until he heard scamp chatter followed by a scream nearby. Martin ran in the turned in the direction of the screams and saw a man laying on the ground, minus his left leg, and badly burned. A scamp was preparing to deal a killing blow. Barely thinking Martin threw a frost spell at the scamp killing it and then he ran over to the injured man. Despite the burns Martin recognized the man as a local named Sean.

"Sean, it's me Martin. Don't worry I'm here to help." Sean looked up at Martin and gave a weak smile.

"Thanks but I don't think I'm going to make it but... my grandchildren! My grandchildren are still at my house!" He began to struggle to stand up, but Martin stopped him.

"Save your strength. I'll go for your grandchildren. Don't worry, I'll get you all somewhere safe."

"A nice thought, but forget me. I know it's my time. Here take this," Sean handed Martin a dagger "it has a decent shock enchantment so it should be useful. Now please, Talos, save my grandchildren." Sean let his head drop to the ground and he closed his eyes forever. "_Did he call me Talos? Must have been delirious from blood-loss." _Martin thought as he raced toward Sean's home_. _When he arrived he found the door knocked in and heard something inside break. He ran inside and found a daedroth clawing at a cabinet. _"The children must be in there!"_ Martin threw a shock spell at the beast. When it was struck it abandoned the cabinet and lunged at Martin. Martin ran up to the daedroth and thrust his dagger up through the base of it's skull. With the monster having been dealt with he went to the cabinet and opened it. Inside he found two children, a girl who appeared to be around nine or ten years old and a boy who looked like he was about four or five. Martin scooped up the boy in his arms, took the girl's hand and headed back to the chapel. When he arrived at the chapel he found Oleta and a few more citizens already inside.

"Where is Ilav?"

"I'm not sure," Oleta answered "I think he was trying to help some people outside." Before Martin could ask any other questions he was interrupted by the sound of wood splintering.

"They're trying to break in!" He ran to the door and tried to hold it closed with his weight. "Someone get me a pew! I need to barricade this door!" Some survivors grabbed the nearest pew and dragged it over to the door. Before barricading the other door he looked outside and saw two members of the city guard, Tierra and Berich. Tierra was fending off a clannfear while Berich was trying to get a couple of survivors, one of which was leaning heavily on his shoulder, away from a Xivilai. Martin threw a shock spell at the Xivilai killing it and causing the clannfear it summoned, the same one Tierra was fighting, to be dismissed.

"Get in here, quickly!" Martin shouted beckoning the guards and citizens over to him.

"This woman is injured; she needs help." Berich said as he entered the church.

"Help the others barricade the door. Oleta and I will do what we can for her and the other wounded." Martin said as he took the injured woman from Berich and gently laid her down on a pew.

About half an hour later he heard something begin hitting one of the doors, but not like it was trying to break the door; more like trying to get someone's attention.

"Hey! It's Captain Matius! Is there anyone in there?" The barricade was quickly moved and Tierra opened the door to reveal Captain Matius and a few survivors.

"I'm trying to round up as many townsfolk as I can. I need somewhere safe for them to stay while I sweep the rest of the town."

"Let them in here, sir," Tierra responded "do you need me to help you search?"

"No, stay here and keep these people safe."

"Yes, Sir!" With that Matius took off as a few more survivors entered the building. Just as the last one crossed the threshold the building rumbled; then there was a loud crash just outside the door. The spire had been knocked off the chapel and fell just outside the door.

"We need to get out of here!" Someone yelled as everyone started to panic.

"No, aside from the count's castle this is the sturdiest building in town. I know it's scary but we have to stay here and have faith that The Nine will protect us!" Martin said in an attempt to calm everyone down.

"You still believe the Divines will protect us Brother Martin?" Berich asked.

"To be honest I'm not one-hundred percent sure but all I can do is hope."

Martin leaned against the wall next to the stained-glass widow he had stood before last night. He and Oleta had spent the last few hours treating the wounded and offering what comfort they could. He looked around the chapel at the survivors. _"We can't get some of these people in here on Sundas yet now..." _Tierra finished looking out the window and announced

"The portals that initially opened and that giant machine are gone, but another portal seems to be right outside the town gate." Martin ran a hand through his hair _"Sounds like we'll be stuck in here for awhile. Why is this happening?" _He thought back to his dream. _"Is the attack linked to the emperor's death? If so why Kvatch? Wouldn't it make more sense to attack Imperial City?There's also the matter of that Argonian prisoner. How does she fit into all of this? The emperor seemed to think there was something special about her and I can't help but feel the same way, but what is it about her?" _Martin let out a humorless laugh. _"Daedra are ransacking the city, I'm trapped in here for who knows how long, and yet I'm still thinking about those stupid dreams." "Why do I call them stupid? They were right about the emperor and Kvatch." _A voice in the back of his mind reminded him. _"Maybe there is some truth to them but what good does that do? I'm just a priest! There's nothing I could have done to stop this and my dreams didn't show anything save the city; they just showed what destroyed it. I wasn't even shown something that could help." _Martin sighed and slid into a sitting position on the floor. _"Isn't there supposed to be hope in Pandora's Box as well?" _

That night Martin was awaken from a light doze by the sounds of fighting. He looked out a window and saw two things: the portal outside the city was gone and Matius and his men were just outside fighting off the last few scamps.

"Everyone wake up!" he called "The portal is gone and the guards are here to rescue us! Someone help me move this barricade." Any irritation at being woken up was immediately replaced with relief and joy at the prospect of being rescued. Some of the stronger civilians helped Martin clear the barricade and let the guards in. Along with the guards an Argonian wearing battered armor entered the chapel. _"Must be a mercenary. Why does she seem familiar though?" _As Matius and Tierra talked Martin noticed the Argonian looking around the chapel. Suddenly her eyes widened and she rushed past Martin. When Martin looked to see what got her attention and gasped himself: it was a spider daedra. _"It must have found a way in from the undercroft!" _Martin thought as he murmured a string of curses. The Argonian jumped over a spiderling and sent a frost spell at the spider daedra before quickly beheading it. She pulled a potion out of her supply pack, took a drink, and a pink aura appeared around her eyes _"Must be a detect life potion." _She ran down the stairs and looked around trying to figure out how the monster had gotten in the chapel. She looked in one room before she quickly slammed the door. Martin heard something start ramming into the door.

"Hey," the Argonian yelled while trying to keep the door closed. "can someone please give me a hand with this. There are quite a few creatures down here!"

"Hang on I'll get something to block the door!" Martin went downstairs and across the hall to the sleeping quarters to get furniture to create a temporary barricade. As the two finished securing the door Captain Matius approached them

"That won't hold them for long. Tierra is leading the others to an encampment at the bottom of the hill outside of town. Martin, I suggest you go with them. As for you," he turned to the Argonian "I'm going to need your help if I want any hope of securing the count's castle. I know you have already done a lot but, I'm going to need every able body I can get. Especially one as tough as you." The Argonian hesitated a moment before a look of resolve crossed her face and she responded "I'm ready to go when you are cap'n." Matius smiled "Good answer. Come on, let's go." As Martin left the city he passed a few soldiers from the Imperial Legion.

"Ilav! You're alive!" Martin said happily as he arrived at the camp.

"Martin! When I heard you and Oleta were trapped in the chapel I didn't think I would ever see you two again." Ilav responded equally happy to see his friends alive.

"Well thank Akatosh Matius found a way to close that portal."

"Actually it wasn't Matius or the guards who closed it."

"Really? Did the Imperial Legion soldiers do it then?"

"Those guys? They arrived just before you came out of the city."

"Well then who closed the gate?"

"Some Argonian traveler wearing beat up leather armor arrived, went into the gate, and several hours later the gate was gone and she was back. I think she went into the city with the guards after that."

"Wait, you're telling me that woman I saw with the guards closed the gate by herself?" "Surprised me to, she's barely an adult."

"Who in Oblivion is she?"

"Actually I was hoping you could tell me. Before she entered the gate she spoke to me. She asked if I knew where to find a priest named Martin."

"I...I see. Sorry to disappoint you but I don't think I've ever met her before." _"She was looking for me? How strange are things going to get around here?"_

As tired as Martin was he couldn't fall asleep. Too much had happened, too many questions needed to be answered. Especially when he learned that some survivors had seen people wearing crimson robes and fought with conjured weapons and armor that seemed to be helping the daedra. The body of an Altmer that was part of the group was found so Martin was able to confirm his suspicions. _"This looks just like what the assassins in my dream were wearing. Wait, the dragonfires! They couldn't be re-lit because all of the heirs were murdered. They must have helped protect Tamriel from __Oblivion. That's why they killed the emperor and his sons! But, why do they want to open gates to Oblivion and why was Kvatch their target?" Furthermore am I somehow part of this? I had those odd __dreams and that traveler was looking for me, but why would I be connected to this? I gave up studying daedric magic long ago. Even then this doesn't seem like something Sanguine would be a part of." _Martin spent the rest of the night considering his many questions.

At dawn Matius and what remained of the city guards had come out of the city. Even though they had failed to rescue the count everyone was glad to see them. As Martin sat and listened to some of the other survivors start discussing plans to rebuild the city and find a new count (many people, Martin included, felt Matius would be the best choice) he heard someone behind him say "Excuse me." Martin turned around and found himself looking at the Argonian he had seen earlier.

"Hey I know I should have said this sooner but thanks for your help back at the chapel." she said as a greeting.

"It was nothing besides I heard about how you helped the Guard drive the daedra back, really I should be thanking you."

"Hey I wasn't the only one who fought. I mean I wouldn't have known what to do if I hadn't found that captive guard in Oblivion and Cap'n Matius was the one who lead me and the others." she replied looking embarrassed. Her embarrassment suddenly turned to nervousness when she spoke again "Um... you're Martin right?" Martin nodded "Err OK. This is going to sound strange but I swear I'm not screwing with you and I'm not crazy... well not crazy in that way. Ya see uh I was sent here to get you because apparently you're the emperor's son."

_"That was a compelling argument for your sanity." _"What? I think you have me mistaken for someone else. My father was a farmer."

"Look I know I can't prove it but...um...oh heck...uh ...look I spoke to the emperor and uh..." "That's impossible the emperor is dead."

"I know was there when he died...um trying to help him not kill him that is. He told me to find his last son and Jauffre, um the grandmaster of the Blades, said that was you. I know I have nothing to substantiate my claim but why would I lie about this?"

The logical part of Martin's mind was screaming that this woman was insane and he should get as far away from her as possible. _"Yet she seems to be telling the truth and in a way this does explain a few things. I can't believe I'm considering this! This woman is delusional she doesn't need me to believe her she needs help." _Martin was about to walk away when something inside him started to stir _"How can you still be doubting your instincts?" _A voice in the back of Martin's mind inquired. _"You know she is right. You know your dreams were real. Stop denying the truth!" _

"Look man, how about this?" the Argonian said bringing Martin out of his thoughts. "Come with me, listen to what Jauffre has to say and if you still don't believe me I'll...um...I'll make it up to ya somehow."

"That won't be necessary. Somehow I think you're telling the truth, I'll come with you."

The Argonian let out a sigh of relief. "Thank Goodness! I'm not good at talking to people I wasn't sure I could persuade ya. Oh, um where are my manners? The name's Ashii-Tek." She extended a hand in greeting. As Martin shook her hand he got a good look at her. She had blue scales, orange eyes, and a cut under her right eye.

"Why didn't I notice it before?" he whispered in shock.

"Huh? What's wrong man?"

"You... I've seen you. You are the one from my dreams." Martin said unconsciously echoing the words of his late father.

"Whoa man you're giving me deja vu pal. Gonna say you foresee your death next?"

Martin laughed "Don't worry I haven't seen anything like that."


End file.
